


loved you from the start

by rocketshiptospace



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-04
Updated: 2012-12-04
Packaged: 2017-11-20 07:35:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/582891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rocketshiptospace/pseuds/rocketshiptospace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A lot of people think Niall is absolutely oblivious to everything happening around him. </p><p>But he’s not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	loved you from the start

A lot of people think Niall is absolutely oblivious to everything happening around him. 

But he’s not. 

To be fair, he might actually see more than most people do. The difference is that Niall simply ignores those things. It’s not his business, so he doesn’t interfere. 

But sometimes that whole ‘not getting involved in other people’s shit’ thing is hard. 

Especially when your two best mates are so obviously in love with each other that it hurts your eyes to even look at it but they don’t notice it themselves and just spend all their time pining over each other.

Niall doesn’t understand them. He doesn’t understand how Louis cannot see the fond look Liam sends him whenever he’s being an idiot again, or how Liam will always always do anything Louis says, and he doesn’t understand how Liam doesn’t see the look in Louis’s eyes when Louis is hurt or sick or crushed and all he needs is Liam, and then when Liam is finally there, Louis doesn’t want to let go, clinging to Liam like he’s the only thing keeping him alive.   
And he doesn’t understand they both don’t see the way they so easily fit together, always knowing what the other wants and needs and Niall thinks and it’s kind of magical. 

Niall talks to Zayn about it once. Zayn just shrugs and says ‘they’re just friends Nialler. Get over it.’ and Niall doesn’t understand how Zayn can’t see it. 

—

Louis gets a boyfriend. His name is Greg and he’s extremely tall and awkward and has the cutest smile and Niall can’t help but compare him to Liam and realize how much they’re alike. 

It hurts Niall. And Niall knows it hurts Liam too, because even though his friend doesn’t show it, Niall sees the sad looks he sends Greg and Louis whenever they’re cuddling or kissing and one night Liam comes over and asks Niall if they can please go out and Niall doesn’t understand why until the next morning when he brings Liam home and finds Louis and Greg sitting at the breakfast table in their boxer shorts, looking completely and utterly fucked. 

Niall reassuringly pats Liam’s back and Liam smiles weakly at him before disappearing into his bedroom. 

Niall glares at Louis, with a look that he hopes says ‘i hope you’re happy that your best friend is sad because he just wants you to love him but nooo you’re too bust fucking Greg freaking James’ but he doesn’t think he gets his point across because Louis just sends him an utterly confused look. 

Niall sighs.

— 

And then Liam gets a boyfriend too. And his name is Harry and he has dimples and curly hair and a beautiful laugh and he’s so polite that Niall can’t even hate him for breaking Liam and Louis apart.

At first Niall can’t even work out whether Liam starts dating Harry because he got over Louis or if he wants to make Louis jealous but then he sees the look Louis sends Harry when he pecks Liam’s cheek and Niall realizes it’s the latter. 

Seriously, he needs new friends. Friends that aren’t so determined to murder each other’s feelings or something like that. 

It goes on like that for awhile and it pains Niall to see Liam and Louis drifting apart. 

(When he mentions this to Zayn, Zayn sighs and tells him to stop obsessing over his friends.  
Niall sticks his tongue out and tells him he’s not obsessed. 

Zayn rolls his eyes.)

—

One afternoon they’re over at Liam and Louis’s apartment and Greg and Harry are there too and Niall has never ever felt so awkward in his entire life. 

Because it’s obvious Liam and Louis are playing some sort of ‘how far can I go to make the other as jealous as possible’ game by sticking their tongues down their boyfriends throats and doing some inappropriate grabbing and hellooo, Niall and Zayn are still here?

(Zayn doesn’t seem bothered though. He flicks a bit of popcorn at Niall’s head and whispers that he needs to focus on the film instead of obsessing over Liam and Louis. 

Niall throws the popcorn back and tells him he’s not obsessed.)

—

Liam and Harry break up. 

Which nobody really saw coming because even though to Niall it was obvious Liam was in love with Louis, Liam and Harry were still a great couple and he didn’t expect them to break up so soon, especially because normally Liam’s relationships last for years. 

Normally it’s Louis who breaks it off so soon, with a lot of screaming and crying and throwing stuff and Liam being the only one to calm him down and lots of tea. 

But Louis and Greg are still going strong and it actually seems like they’re not going to break up any time soon and it makes Niall a bit scared, to be honest. 

And then Louis drops the bomb and everything goes even more downhill. 

He tells them all together (minus Harry, who hasn’t been hanging out with them ever since the break up. If he’s being honest Niall misses him a bit. He was great company to have.), when they’re huddled in Liam and Louis’s kitchen. 

He’s moving in with Greg. 

Which is a huge step because it means commitment and Louis doesn’t do commitment and wow. 

Maybe Louis got over Liam without Niall realizing it. 

Liam cries later that night, when Louis is out with Greg and Zayn’s gone to bed and it breaks Niall’s heart to see his friend like this. 

Broken and scared and hurt. 

“I thought… I thought that after I broke up with Harry, I was going to tell him, you know? But I guess I’m too late now…”

—

The next time Niall talks to Louis alone he almost hits him in the face. 

Almost.

But instead he tells him he’s an idiot and Louis looks at him confused but Niall just glares and storms out of the room.

— 

He has a week off and Niall’s going back to Ireland for a week. He hasn’t seen his family for ages and it’s nice to take a break from all of the drama for awhile. 

When he’s arrives back in London, it’s crazy and there’s a lot of screaming and crying and he doesn’t understand but then Zayn tells him what went down and oh. 

Because apparently Liam got drunk, went home, kissed Louis, Louis kissed back, then Louis had an emotional breakdown, Liam calmed him down, they fell asleep in each other arms, Greg walked in the next morning, found them, shouted, then Louis went after him and told him it was a mistake and that they had only kissed and that it meant nothing, which made Liam cry, then Louis told Liam he didn’t mean it like that, which made Greg shout again and after that Greg went home and Liam hid at Zayn and Niall’s apartment and Louis was sulking at his and Liam’s apartment. 

Niall sighs. He can’t even let these idiots alone for a week and they manage to make a mess of everything. 

Niall goes to talk to Liam first, who’s curled into Niall’s bed, face buried in the pillow. 

Liam tells him in between sobs the entire story Zayn’s just told him and he looks so broken and hurt so Niall hugs him and promises he will talk to Louis to see if they can fix it.

“I screwed up, didn’t I?”

Niall sighs. “You both did.”

—

Louis is a mess. When Niall walks in he’s lying on the kitchen floor clutching a pillow to his chest and crying hysterically.

Niall sighs and helps his mate up from the floor and sets him down on the couch with a glass of water and demands him he tells him what’s going on.

So Louis tells him his version of events and that he’s just so confused because he didn’t realize how much he loved Liam until the kiss (Niall face palms himself at this part because seriously?!) but he still loves Greg and he just doesn’t know what to do about it.

Niall tells him he should sleep about it for a few nights and then go talk to both Liam and Greg to sort this all out.

Louis nods weakly and Niall hugs him before going home again.

—

Louis doesn’t call Liam for an entire week and Niall is forced to listen to his angsty speeches because Zayn has flees the scene every time Liam does as much as walk into the room.

(“I’m so done with obsessing over those two idiots.” Niall mutters as he places his head in Zayn’s lap. Liam has just gone to bed and for the first time all week it’s just the two of them again.

Zayn just runs his fingers through Niall’s hair and smiles wickedly.

“You just admitted you’re obsessed with them.”)

—

Liam and Louis talk and Niall doesn’t know what exactly happens but they’re friends again and even though that’s pretty much back to square one, it’s something and Niall’s not going to complain.

Louis and Greg are over though. Niall bumps into Greg a few weeks later and Greg asks him how Liam and Louis are doing and Niall sends him a confused look, which Greg responds to with a weak smile and a “I’m not stupid Niall, I know they’re in love with each other.”

And even though he feels bad for Greg, he can’t help but smile because finally he isn’t the only one anymore who knows those two are in love.

Now it’s time for Liam and Louis to realize that.

That happens a few weeks later, when they’re having movie night and Liam and Louis’s place and Niall and Zayn walk in and find Liam and Louis snogging on the couch and Niall lets out a yelp and an ‘I told you so!’ and Zayn rolls his eyes and mutters ‘obsessed’. Liam and Louis let go of each other and smile sheepishly.

(“You might think you’re not oblivious or something but in reality you really really are.” Zayn says later that night when it’s just the two of them again. 

“Oh yeah? Name one thing I’ve been completely oblivious too then.” Niall challenges Zayn, smiling wickedly at him. 

“This.” Zayn says and then he’s leaning in and pressing his lips on Niall’s and yeah ok he might’ve been a bit oblivious to that.

Not that he’s complaining though.)


End file.
